July 2014
Grand Opening – Good Success!
Our Saturday, June 14th, Grand Opening for the Northwest Science Museum Vision Center went very well. From our opening at 10:00 a.m. until well after our closing at 4:00 p.m., we had a constant stream of guests, including a few skeptics. Since the Vision Center is only about 24′ x 24′ (and designed to show in miniature what we are planning on a large scale), we had groups of 10 to 15 guests at a time go through the 20-minute presentations. Roy Meyer helped me in front of the door to gather those who were coming so I could give them a brief introduction to prepare their thinking and open their minds to the evidences of amazing censored science displays.
We heard lots of lavish praise and got enthusiastic responses most of the time. Please pray for Walt and his wife and daughter, the skeptics I talked to. They were very cold and non-receptive to the creation concepts I was sharing with them during the introductory session, but warmed up some when I went to talk with them after the tour. (Roy did the introduction for me with the next group.) I gave Walt a couple of excellent brochures by Werner Gitt, then asked him if he would read my books if I gave them to him. He said, “I wouldn’t buy them – but if you give them to me, I will read them.” I gave him “Ready to Give an Answer” and “Is the Bible Without Any Errors?” Please pray for God to open their hearts and convict them of their need for salvation in Jesus Christ.
To our Volunteers:
Your help for the launching of the Grand Opening of the Vision Center was essential! We couldn’t have done it alone! Without your help it would have been a flop. With your help it was a giant step forward – truly a success. The total that came in that day for book sales and donations was $1,201.69, which is far short of covering the expenses we had for Grand Opening, but it was a big help. The positive is that we still have a good inventory of excellent books and DVDs in our bookstore for those who come to visit the Vision Center. What we do want to say clearly is, “Thank you so much!” We appreciate you!!!
Looking for Northwest Science Museum Partners
Northwest Science Museum is beyond our ability to complete – we need help. This project is to bring glory to God, bring souls to Christ, and to bring positive change to our corrupt culture. When it is accomplished, God gets the glory!
We are looking for partners to help us get a building and support Stan Lutz as our museum curator. Would you like to partner with us?
1. As a prayer partner?
2. As a financial supporter?
3. As a worker? We will need many and varied skills to move ahead with this project.
Northwest Science Museum
P. O. Box 9447
Boise, ID 83707
infonwsm@northwestsciencemuseum.org
Vision Center Location:
1831 N. Wildwood, Boise
(1 block north of Fairview and 1/2 block west of Wildwood on King St.)
If you want to schedule a personal or group tour of the Northwest Science Museum Vision Center, please call 208-972-6288. If you have questions, you may call me (Rick) at 208-467-6563.
Do you know someone with the financial means, who may want to make a matching challenge for NWSM?
Local Publicity
We got some good local publicity about the Grand Opening of the Vision Center on the radio, TV, and newspaper – but that also sparked a lot of negative emails from anonymous critics. We discussed what to do, and I first recommended that we just ignore them, but Brent offered what I consider a better response. He said that he has repeatedly offered critics of Foundations in Genesis to meet with him to discuss their concerns. He has never had any of them accept his offer. Here is my suggestion for a standard reply:
“One of the most famous scientists, Sir Isaac Newton (considered the greatest scientist by many other scientists) made this observation: ‘This universe exists, and by that one impossible fact declares itself a miracle …’
Do you believe that the universe exists? If not, please contact us – we know some very good counselors. If yes, how did it get here? You already believe a huge miracle, so please don’t profess that you don’t believe in miracles. There are only three possibilities for the existence of the universe:
1. The universe is eternal. There are two good reasons why very few, if any, scientists still hold this viewpoint:
A. There is good evidence that the universe is expanding. (The Bible even says God stretches out the heavens – Isaiah 40:22 which also teaches that the earth is a sphere!) ‘It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.’
B. Do you believe that there are still hot objects in the universe? Since heat dissipates, how could there be any hot objects, like our sun, left if the universe is eternal?
2. In the beginning there was nothing – then it contracted into a small dot, exploded, and became everything with no plan, no purpose, no meaning, no intelligence, no design, no inventor. With this model, how do you explain scientifically:
A. How something can come from nothing
B. How order can come from an explosion
C. How information can come from no brain
D. If you believe this, please explain how you can think a rational thought since your brain has no intelligent designer, no meaning and no purpose.
E. How ‘laws of nature’ can appear without a law-giver.
3. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Our premise is “God created the heavens and the earth.” We would invite you to make an appointment with us and we would be glad to discuss with you about science, about purpose, about meaning, about life and all its struggles if you wish. We care about you! Why? Because God cares about you. He loves you more than you love yourself – and He tells us to imitate Him.”
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Even more serious than these pesky “gnats” of criticism I mentioned before was a false accusation of an ethics violation leveled against one of our directors. This could be a serious threat to his job with a government agency. He has cleared the issue with his local supervisor – but it has already been sent to Washington D.C. Please pray!
Radio Interview
On June 15th Tim Wildmon and Ed Vitagliano interviewed me on the phone for American Family Radio concerning my newest book, “More Than Conquerors in Cultural Clashes”. I think it went very well. (At least, David, our son-in-law, really liked it, and our grandson, Scott, said, “It was awesome!” I told him only God is awesome.) I did get to briefly mention Northwest Science Museum. Please pray that this interview and the other publicity will increase the influence of the book and NWSM. If you want to hear the interview, contact Cindy Barnett at AFR at 662-844-8888 or see www.afr.net .
Pray! Pray! Pray for America!
Following is a letter I sent to Lt. General Johnson at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (written on Memorial Day).
“Lt. Gen. Johnson,
I have four questions for you:
1. Since Mikey Weinstein has the freedom of speech to use the propaganda of falsely naming his anti-Christian organization, “The Military Religious Freedom Organization” while they aggressively squelch religious freedom, why are your cadets forbidden to express their freedom of religion by posting Bible verses on their own whiteboards?
2. Since you seem to be super sensitive about the possibility of offending a few atheists or others with a Bible verse, do you care that thousands, perhaps even millions of Christians in America are angry and offended by this new policy of discrimination against Christians and the freedom of speech for us?
3. On this Memorial Day, do you care that many of our veterans have spilled their blood for our freedom of speech – and now you are robbing our own cadets of their freedom of speech?
4. Do you realize that it is impossible for an atheist to be a loyal American? Why? Because our own founding document, the “Declaration of Independence,” says that we are “endowed by our Creator with these unalienable rights…” How is it possible to be a loyal American while rejecting the Creator Who endows us with those rights? Is it not obvious that to reject our Creator is to reject our founding documents such as the “Mayflower Compact,” the “Declaration of Independence” and our Constitution?
Yours & His,
Rick Deighton”
Pray! Pray! Pray for Ukraine!
(Especially Crimea and the Eastern Cities of Ukraine!)
We can still get funds to fulfill needs in Ukraine through to several of the dedicated mission partners we work with. If you have a great heart for orphans, here are a couple of tangible projects you many want to help Love Cradle accomplish:
“Mattress Program: Phase 1 of a 6 phase special initiative has started.
Phase 1 is to supply an orphanage in Central Ukraine with 100 new mattresses and special covers. Cost for one mattress and protective cover is $75.00. Please share this special need with your churches, study groups and friends. UPDATE: 25 mattresses to date.”
“The 1000 Pair of Shoes Program: An LCI effort to reach 10 orphanages with 1000 pair of shoes is underway. If you or someone you know would like to participate in helping these children with badly needed footwear please visit www.lovecradleint.org or call LCI 215-799-4127 for more details.”
Refreshment from The Living Water
We are obviously living in a dangerous, fast-changing world hurling toward the showdown of Christ versus anti-Christ forces. Final judgment looms on the horizon. “Payday Someday” may be closer than we think! “Prepare to meet your God!” Joel 4:12. Are you ready? If not, the Savior’s arms are open wide to enfold you and forgive you as you put your trust in Him. Here is God’s Word on how to respond to His gracious invitation:
” Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31. (NKJV).
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 (NKJV).
For the majority of you, our prayer partners, who are already trusting Jesus, may these powerful verses refresh and renew your weary hearts.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 (NKJV).
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us……But since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.” 2 Corinthians 5:5-7,13 (NKJV).